Local hospital eyes new clinic

Published: Monday, February 4, 2013 at 6:32 p.m.

Last Modified: Monday, February 4, 2013 at 6:32 p.m.

The Lady of the Sea General Hospital in South Lafourche is seeking to borrow money for a new clinic at the hospital.

Don Werner, the hospital’s CEO, said the hospital’s board is seeking the authority to borrow $3 million to finance the new facility.

Werner issued a report to the Lafourche Parish Council in late January asking permission to take the proposal to voters.

The Parish Council will vote Tuesday night on whether to give the hospital permission to go to voters.

Werner said the hospital’s financial condition is perhaps as good as its ever been, and the money would be repaid partially through savings from running the clinic.

“Reinvesting in the hospital is a better use of tax dollars,” Werner said.

The clinic will be the consolidation of two satellite clinics in the South Lafourche area.

Werner said the clinic will serve the general health needs of patients and have about seven practitioners. The new building will also house a business office and be built at the hospital’s main campus at Galliano.

The hospital will save more than $100,000 spent annually to lease the two off-campus clinics, Werner said. It will also be closer to the hospital’s outpatient testing labs, making the hospital’s services more convenient for patients, Werner said.

“We have one clinic that we have had for years. There is no way we can expand it. The maintenance is high, and we need a more modern health care facility,” Werner said. “By consolidating there will be quite a cost savings that will be used to pay for the clinic.”

Werner said a 0.2 mill would be added to help pay for the expansion, which voters would consider May 2. The hospital levees 4.14 mills for operations and maintenance.

The expansion is in addition to $2 million in renovations already happening at the hospital.

Councilman Daniel Lorraine, who represents the area, said the clinic has been needed for a while, and he supports the effort to borrow the money. “I think it’s going to be a good thing, and it makes sense because the clinic operations will eventally pay for itself,” Lorraine said.

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